IFT 2007 Annual Meeting & Food Expo Review: Food Nanoscience Conference BY BETTY BUGUSU & MERYL
TY BUGUSU & MERYL LUBRAN
International
Food Nanoscience Conference
T
he Institute of Food Technolo-
gists held its 2nd International
Food Nanoscience conference
on Wednesday, August 1, 2007,
in conjunction with the 2007
IFT Annual Meeting & Food
ExpoSM in Chicago, Ill. More than
200 participants from industry,
government, and academia
attended the conference. Among
the countries represented at the
conference were the United States,
United Kingdom, Japan, Taiwan,
the Netherlands, and Canada.
The theme of the conference
was “Nanoscale Science of Food:
Opportunities and Challenges,” and
the objectives were to review the
state of nanoscale science and tech-
nology research worldwide and its
applications in food systems; survey
and discuss potential challenges
and opportunities resulting from
advancement and application of
nanoscale science and technology in
food; and stimulate the mainstream
food science community to engage
in the exploration of a full range
of topics associated with potential
benefits and risks of food-related
nanoscience and nanotechnologies.
The conference was sponsored
in part by IFT’s International
Division, the Royal Netherlands
Embassy, Blue Pacific Flavors
Inc., and Canada’s Advanced
Foods and Materials Network.
Nanoscience Around the World
IFT President Dennis
Heldman highlighted the immense
opportunities that are possible
with nanoscience as an evolving
science in the areas of food safety
and biosecurity, food processing,
food packaging, and ingredient
technologies. He also highlighted
IFT’s role as a research champion
Conference participants review
the state of nanoscale science and
technology research and its food
applications worldwide.
and catalyst for science and its
well-established infrastructure for
communication and technology
dissemination.
Jochen Weiss of the University
of Massachusetts said that in
the U.S., nanoscale research
is coordinated by the National
Nanotechnology Initiative, a
multi-agency federal research
and development program. Food
research efforts are predominantly
funded by the U.S. Dept. of
Agriculture. Private funding is
also increasing, as evidenced by
the number of patents granted.
Advances in food nanotechnologies
in the areas of packaging, process-
ing, and ingredient technologies
are increasingly finding their way
into food applications. Overall, he
said, food nanotechnology is one of
the most active research frontiers
in food science and has garnered
interest from food manufacturers
looking toward commercialization.
Rickey Yada of Advanced
Foods and Materials Network/Uni-
versity of Guelph, Canada, said
that nanoscience research activities
in Canada are managed by the
Advanced Foods and Materials
Network. AFMNet, Canada’s
09.07 • www.ift.org 121 pg
IFT 2007 Annual Meeting & Food Expo Review: Food Nanoscience Conference

national food and bio-materials
research network, is designed to
discover new ideas and develop
new biology-based technologies
that will create new commercial
opportunities. Its mission is for a
healthier Canada, and it partners
with industry, government,
not-for-profit organizations, and
national and international research
institutions. On-going projects are
in the areas of biofilms, hydrogels,
cationic peptides, nutrient delivery
systems, and exploration of some of
the ethical and social issues arising
from nanoscience developments.
Vic Morris of the Institute of
Food Research, United Kingdom,
said that food nanotechnology is
an emerging area of interest in the
UK and Europe in general. Uses for
nanoparticles are being explored
in food and food contact materials.
There is growing interest in the use
of “inert” nanoparticles in edible
coatings and barriers, preserva-
tives, antimicrobials, and mineral
supplements. The main concern
from a regulatory standpoint, he
said, is with nanoparticles added to
food, especially those that may not
metabolize, as there is inadequate
information on potential for toxic-
ity or bioaccumulation in the body.
Frans Kampers of Wageningen
Working Group Develops Plan
UR, the Netherlands, discussed
Nano4Vitality, a new program in the
Netherlands for nanoscience in food
and health systems. Its purpose
is to create application-driven
nanotechnologies. Each project
within the program, he said, will
have an underlying business case
with an aim to apply the results
within three years. The major
themes for the program are food
safety and quality, including sensors
and analysis systems, tracking/trac-
ing/monitoring devices, active
packaging, process technology, and
encapsulation and delivery systems.
Shinya Ikeda of CP Kelco,
Japan, said that food nanotechnol-
ogy research in Japan is specified
as one of the priority research
targets in the Third Science and
Technology Basic Plan that was
announced by the government in
March 2006, with a focus on func-
tional foods. Tools and methods to
characterize and measure nanoscale
structures (e.g., scanning probe
microscopes) have become increas-
ingly available to food scientists.
An-I Yeh of National Taiwan
University said that research and
applications of nanotechnology in
food in Taiwan started about six
years ago. A logo for nanoproducts
was launched in 2004 by the Indus-
trial Bureau. The main activities
are in academia, with a focus on the
preparation and characterization of
nanoparticles, utilization of nano-
technology to enhance absorption
of active compounds in Chinese
herbs, study of physiological effects
of nanoparticles such as iron and
calcium, and other applications.
Applications in Food
The session on “Nanotechnol-
ogy Benefits: Application Areas
in Food,” moderated by Rickey
Yada of AFMNet and� Peter Given
of Pepsi-Cola Co.�������������
, provided a
summary of the developments
of potential applications. These
include creation of rapid detection
methods such as sensors for food
safety and quality; design of
high-performance packaging mate-
rials; development of processing
technologies; and development of
novel delivery systems that better
protect functional ingredients
and allow for controlled release
of encapsulated compounds.
Jeremy Tzeng of Clemson
University discussed his research
on utilizing carbohydrate biofunc-
tionalized nanoparticles as potential
alternatives to antibiotics for the
removal and control of foodborne
pathogens. These applications
take advantage of the pathogenic
bacteria’s ability to use carbohy-
drate-binding proteins (adhesions)
to adhere to specific host cell

I
FT’s Food Nanoscience Working Group recently developed its long- receptors (carbohydrate receptors)
term strategic plan. The goal of the working group is to facilitate the to initiate infection. For example,
acquisition, generation, and communication of technical and safety the multivalent D-mannose
developments of nanoscale materials for food applications in order to biofunctionalized nanoparticles
advance the pursuit of scientific endeavors, encourage collaboration bound strongly with Escherichia coli
among organizations with interest in food nanoscience, and influence ORN178, which expressed FimH
regulatory agencies, consumers, and the general public’s decision mak- adhesion, resulting in significant
ing regarding nanoscience and food. nanoparticle-mediated bacterial
The group’s objectives are to position IFT as a leader in the commu- aggregations. These nanoparticles
nity of researchers exploring the nanoscale science of food and provide a also have potential application in
forum for stakeholder engagement; to leverage partnerships with leading biosensor development, he said.
nanoscience research and policy institutions to encourage collaboration Gary Maki of the University of
and exchange of information, and to advocate for increased funding for Idaho discussed the development
nanoscale science of food. of a biosensor for detection of the
More information is available at http://members.ift.org/IFT/Communi- food pathogen Staphylococcus aureus.
ties/Committees/Food+Nanoscience+Working+Group/. He stressed the importance of
integrating diverse disciplines such
pg 122 09.07 • www.ift.org
The difference in size between
[micro- and nanoparticles] affects
distribution and efficacy of a drug
and [has] implications regarding
formulation and performance.
as surface chemistry, organic
chemistry, molecular biology,
and electronics to achieve
significant advancements
in the area of food-related
nanotechnology.
Tara McHugh of the West-
ern Regional Research Center
and Processed Foods Research
Unit of USDA’s Agricultural
Research Service discussed the
application of nanoscience in
food packaging. She mentioned
such diverse uses as control of
gas permeability; incorporation
of antimicrobials; integration
of nanosensors for detection
of chemicals, pathogens, and
toxins; and repelling of dirt.
Among the commercialized
technologies are nanocomposite
materials used for improved
strength, barrier properties,
and stability to heat and cold,
and use of silver nanoparticles
for antimicrobial activity.
Future applications include use
of nanosensors in food packages
to detect chemicals, pathogens,
and toxins in foods and use of
radiofrequency identification
tags in intelligent packaging.
Charles Brain of Ingredient
Innovations International
gave an overview of how
nanoscience could be used to
enhance food, dietary supple-
ments, and cosmetics. He also
described specific benefits
of nanoscience ingredient
technology, including excellent
dispersion and suspension of
water-insoluble ingredients
in water-based products;
reduced interaction with
other ingredients in a product;
reduced oxidation of sensitive
ingredients; controlled release;
and improved bioavailability.
Lekh Juneja of Taiyo
Kagaku Ltd. discussed the
concept of its Nutrient Delivery
System in the development of
products currently marketed
in Japan. Using NDS, Taiyo
has been able to overcome
issues related to nutrient for-
tification, such as taste, flavor,
stability, solubility, safety, and
bioavailability. One success
story was iron fortification
of milk products in Japan.
John Dutcher of the
University of Guelph discussed
the importance of understand-
ing complex properties of foods
and food materials using a com-
bination of experimental and
computational techniques at the
nanoscale level. He stressed the
importance of multidisciplinary
research, an approach used
by AFMNet that is necessary
and critical to the successful
and efficient development of
foods and food products, as
well as novel food applications
using science and technology
at the nanoscale level.
Daniel S. Kohane (shown
in photo above) of the Labora-
tory for Biomaterials and Drug
Delivery at the Massachusetts
General Hospital of Harvard
Medical School discussed
biomedical drug-delivery
systems based on micro- and
nanoparticles. He provided
several examples of how the
difference in size between
those two types of particles
affects distribution and efficacy
of a drug and the implica-
tions regarding formulation
and performance. He also
reviewed the scope of applica-
tions for systemic and local
delivery/use and addressed
some of the challenges that
face the field, such as the
potential ability of nanopar-
ticles to penetrate cells. »»
09.07 • www.ift.org 123 pg
IFT 2007 Annual Meeting & Food Expo Review: Food Nanoscience Conference
The potential environmental and societal impacts
of food-related applications of nanotechnology
need to be considered during development of
commercial applications.
Risk and Regulation
The session on “Nanotechnology:
Risk Assessment, Regulation and
Toxicology” was chaired by Berna-
dene Magnuson of the University
of Maryland and Bart Sattler of
the Netherlands Office for Science
& Technology at the Royal Nether-
lands Embassy in Washington, D.C.
Bernadene Magnuson outlined
some of the potential issues and
challenges facing the food industry,
including the safety, consumer,
environmental, and societal impacts
of using nanomaterials in foods.
She discussed the risk assessment
approach, which includes evalua-
tion of both exposure and hazard
assessment. She also identified
the need for consumer education
to ensure consumer confidence
and acceptance of food products
that either contain or have been
produced using nanoscale materials
or technologies. Nanotechonol-
ogy, she said, also offers a new way
to excite students to study food
science. She concluded by saying
that the potential environmental
and societal impacts of food-related
applications of nanotechnology need
to be considered during develop-
ment of commercial applications.
Mitchell Cheeseman provided
an update on the Food and Drug
Administration’s regulatory
oversight on food applications of
nanotechnology. He discussed the
underlying statutes and regulations
pg 124 09.07 • www.ift.org
governing food ingredients, as well
as the scientific and regulatory
questions raised by the use of
nanotechnology in the production
of food ingredients and food.
He also discussed concerns and
questions specific to food ingredients
produced using nanotechnology and
referred to the recently released
FDA Commissioner’s Task Force
report on nanotechnology (www.
fda.gov/nanotechnology/task-
force/report2007.html). The report
considers questions on the safety
of food products produced using
nanotechnology and/or containing
nanosized ingredients and the
adequacy of current law, regulations,
and science to ensure the safety of
food ingredients and food products.
FDA, he said, acknowledges that
nanotechnology will present regula-
tory challenges similar to those
posed by other new technologies
that FDA has dealt with previously,
as well as some potentially new
challenges. FDA’s authorities are
expected to be adequate to meet
these challenges, but in some cases
the evolving state of the science may
warrant a case-by-case approach
to satisfy the applicable statutory
and regulatory standards. He
urged industry to engage with FDA
and use their expertise to assess
how potential applications may
be viewed and what data may be
required for commercialization.
Nigel Walker of the National
Institute of Environmental
Health Sciences and its National
Toxicology Program described the
Nanotechnology Safety Initiative
of the NIEHS (http://ntp.niehs.
nih.gov/go/nanotech). Research,
he said, is on-going to evaluate the
toxicological properties of classes of
nanoscale materials that represent
a cross-section of composition,
size, surface coatings, and physico-
chemical properties. The studies are
designed to investigate fundamental
questions concerning how nanoscale
materials are absorbed and distrib-
uted in vivo and whether they can
adversely impact biological systems.
The current focus is on nanoscale
metal oxides, quantum dots, and
titanium dioxide. Studies to assess
safety of oral exposure to nanosilver
and nanogold are underway.
Reiterating the Potential
In his conference wrap-up remarks,
John Floros, IFT’s then-President-
Elect, reiterated the potential
for nanoscale science and related
technologies to positively impact
the food industry, the safety of
our food supply, and the health
and wellness of the population. He
recognized the possible challenges
and urged all stakeholders to
turn them into opportunities.
He commended the various
researchers for their efforts, and
emphasized the need for collabora-
tion among various institutions
(government, academia, industry,
and other organizations), and across
expertise (food scientists, physicists,
chemists, materials scientists and
engineers, physicians, etc.), both
nationally and internationally.
And he underscored the need
for effective and open com-
munication among stakeholders
to avoid past mistakes with other
emerging technologies. FT
Betty Bugusu, Ph.D. (bbugusu@ift.org), is Research
Scientist, Institute of Food Technologists, 1025
Connecticut Ave., N.W., Washington, DC 20036. Meryl
Lubran (mlubran@umd.edu) is a Ph.D. candidate at
the University of Maryland, College Park.